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NASCAR and Formula One scheduling overlap in Texas causes war of words

December 3, 2013

On Wednesday it was announced that the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin (pictured) was scheduled for the same day as the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Everything's bigger in Texas, right? So you'd think the state would be big enough for both NASCAR and Formula One.

You'd be wrong.

After the 2014 F1 schedule was released on Wednesday, it revealed that the United States Grand Prix Formula One race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin was scheduled for Nov. 2, the exact same day the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is set to come to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

To add some fuel to the war of words, COTA chairman Bobby Epstein responded, saying he wasn't too concerned with the NASCAR overlap.

“Due to the large number of NASCAR events scheduled annually, there will occasionally be overlaps with events at the Circuit of the Americas,” Epstein said in a statement. “However there are few similarities between a NASCAR race and the Formula One weekend we have developed. The F1 USGP is a massive, fun and entertaining experience that has performed well against all kinds of competition.

“Many members of the public were concerned that our first F1 race fell on the same date as the season-ending NASCAR race in Homestead, Fla., and it proved to be a non-issue. Ultimately, we see this as a great opportunity to draw sports fans from around the world to Texas and to proving again that Austin is the place to enjoy premium racing and entertainment.”